Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has played marriage counselor for Ashley and Cheryl Cole.

The Daily Star says the Russian billionaire, 43, last night emerged as the unexpected middleman who has persuaded Cheryl to consider a make-or-break date.

And last night the bookies stopped taking bets on the couple getting back together after several major wagers.

One industry source said: "It appears someone may have some inside information that is spreading around."